Stoke City 0-0 Arsenal

Arsenal enjoyed the majority of possession but couldn't create any clear cut chances as Stoke held the Gunners to a 0-0 draw.

The Potters nearly had a dream start in their first home game of the season as Jon Walters put the ball into the net from a Peter Crouch knockdown on seven minutes but the Republic of Ireland international was correctly judged to have been offside, although it was a close call. Arsenal responded quickly and Lukas Podolski should have broken the deadlock moments later but Andy Wilkinson did well to recover from a slip and block the striker's effort. Arsenal continued to dominate possession in the opening 45 minutes but couldn't find a way through the Potters, despite the best efforts of the tireless Santi Cazorla. The second half was a similar affair with Arsenal dominating but unable to produce a killer ball in the final third. The Gunners won 12 corners over the course of the match but never managed to cut open the Potters back line, despite all their possession. The hosts nearly managed to secure a smash-and-grab victory in the closing stages when Aaron Ramsey was dispossessed by Michael Kightly. Kightly found Walters in space but his effort was woeful and didn't trouble Vito Mannone in the Arsenal goal. Arsenal summer recruit Olivier Giroud tried his luck from distance in the last meaningful attack of the game, but his shot drifted over the Potters crossbar as Arsene Wenger's men recorded a second successive Premier League 0-0 draw.